This week

After going through photos taken during this past trip to Granada, Nicaragua with The Giving Lens (TGL), it was clear that putting a series together in releasing the images was the way to go. I had come across TGL a few years ago during a search for a way to travel while doing photography and TGL stood out to me. They work with non-profits* in different countries, teaching kids the art of photography. Nicaragua was my first trip and I’m excited to go on other trips with them in the future.

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The cards seemed to align. A little over 4 months had gone by and I realized that the money put into the studio could have been used towards building my equipment as well as travelling. I had been stressed out about working more hours to pay for an art studio that I barely used since I spent most of my time working. And after hearing that rent was going to increase, the decision was made for me. Give up the studio. It was easy to do as I was subleasing the space and the owner was ready to move on also. A little over a week after turning in my keys, I get the email: “TGL: Nicaragua.” Without hesitation, I applied.

It was the end of March and the trip was set for the first week of July. Of course three months is plenty of time to save up for the trip. But oh, I forgot, I also had a trip to San Diego for a week and New York for another week within that time plus I just got back from a weekend in Big Bear. With finances tight I was instantly reminded that this trip might not happen even if I did get accepted. But by the grace of my co-workers needing shifts covered and people hiring me through TaskRabbit, everything worked out just fine. Therefore, I find it appropriate to kick off this series with…

The Hustle

The first in this set is from a day we visited a small town about 30-45 min from where we were staying. We broke into small groups to visit 3-4 houses in order to take photos and talk to the families. Our assignment that day was to come up with 3 image stories.

As we went to our first house it was on my mind, “3 image story. What story will I tell here? Shit, I don’t know. Think Joanne.” I just kept shooting without any real direction. It wasn’t until going through the photos that I realized where the 3 photo stories lie. It’s not just from one house we visited, but from each part that makes the whole.

Each day this week I’ll be sharing 3 images on how people in the places we visited in Nicaragua make ends meet. In this first set, we were running short on time due to wanting to beat the heavy rain and didn’t give me a chance to chat with the family and take as many photos as I would have liked. This was unfortunate because it would have been really interesting to hear more about this (and get better shots.)

*We worked with Empowerment International while in Granada, Nicaragua. More on them another week.